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Why this Alliance?

The Nobel Peace Laureates Alliance for Food Security and Peace was established by the FAO Director-General in May 2016 to work jointly with FAO to build a virtuous relationship, where food security supports peacebuilding, and peacebuilding reinforces food security. The Alliance is an advocacy group of Nobel Peace Laureates that aims at amplifying FAO’s contribution to conflict prevention and to giving visibility
at the work of the Organization in post-conflict countries in the context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The Nobel Peace Laureates have led extraordinary efforts that have contributed to a wide range of areas. Sustainable development, reduction of poverty,international cooperation and peace are only some of the areas the Alliance has made an impact. With strong political commitment, and deepened technical understanding, it is possible to address food insecurity,reducing the potential for conflict and instability.

The overall goal of the Alliance is to contribute to creating the necessary political will to eradicate hunger within our generation and to build sustainable peace.

With the support of FAO Members, the Alliance will raise awareness and champion global and country-level activities promoting the links between food security and peacebuilding, as well as highlight FAO’s technical leadership in agricultural and food security policies and actions that promote peace, rural development and food security.

Much of FAO’s work aims to promote sustainable development and build the resilience of rural populations. By supporting agriculture and rural development, FAO helps create jobs, provide incomes and boost youth employment. This can help prevent distress migration and radicalization, as well as mitigate disputes over depleted resources. Where conflicts arise, FAO seeks to sustain agriculture production and assist vulnerable communities to ensure food security and help restore post-crisis economies. FAO plays a unique role in protecting, restoring and developing the livelihoods of farmers, fishers, herders, foresters and others who depend on agriculture and natural resources for sustenance, security and prosperity. Conflict prevention and resolution require secure and resilient conditions that meet the needs of rural people in terms of both nutrition and livelihoods.

When families are displaced by armed conflict, communities become resource-poor, and livelihood opportunities and food sources become very limited. Disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) programmes aim to support the voluntary disarmament and discharge of combatants from armed groups. FAO works closely with UN peacebuilding and peacekeeping actors to reintegrate former combatants in post-conflict countries.

Participatory Negotiated Territorial Development (PNTD) is a confidence-building, facilitated dialogue approach that brings together around the negotiating table different and often opposing stakeholders to discuss and seek solutions to issues around land tenure, customary land rights and the sustainable use of natural resources. The main contesting parties – for example, land administration and customary authorities, farmers, private actors and armed groups – are engaged in a participatory territorial analysis to help identify the underlying causes of issues surrounding natural-resource access. The history, perceptions and interests of different parties are captured, and from this a socio-territorial agreement is negotiated. The agreement foresees a series of specific duties, rights and responsibilities concerning the access, use and management of land. Customary and formal institutions monitor implementation. Using the PNTD approach, land disputes related to refugee return and IDPs are reduced. This represents the beginning of a process with clear peace dividends, with its legitimacy rooted in inclusive dialogue among the stakeholders concerned. Additional technical interventions, such as community nurseries, help build local capacities and strengthen nascent social cohesion. This approach falls within the context of the VGGT, which are a fundamental tool for the promotion of sustainable peace and social cohesion. The VGGT promote secure tenure rights and equitable access to land, fisheries and forests as a means of eradicating hunger and poverty, supporting sustainable development and enhancing the environment.

Partnerships are key to FAO’s efforts to deliver context-specific, comprehensive, people-centered and preventive interventions. This is the heart of the FAO Nobel Peace Laureates Alliance for Food Security and Peace – an innovative and powerful partnership to sustain peace in a world free of hunger.